He’d offered to stay in the room with her and her father, but something inside her had known that this was something she needed to do on her own…even if it scared her.
They’d found out it had been her father who’d knocked Jake out for the simple reason of he hadn’t wanted to be seen.
It wasn’t a surprise. Pixie probably would have just shot him. So Jake was lucky in a terrible sense. And God, she’d beenso grateful when he’d been released from the hospital with a concussion.
They’d also recovered the money her dad had stolen from the safe. Once Linda finished her cruise, that money would be returned to her.
When she still just sat there in the passenger seat of Kayden’s truck, he didn’t rush her. In fact, other than the occasional swipe of his thumb against her hand, he was completely still and silent beside her, as if he’d sit and wait with her all day if that was what she needed.
Finally, she sucked in a long breath and wrapped her fingers around the door handle before climbing out. Cool, crisp air blew through her hair, the morning sun barely visible behind the clouds.
“Are you okay to walk?” Kayden asked, already standing beside her.
“Yeah, my ankle’s not feeling too bad today.” It had been just over a week since everything had happened, and even though she still had a lot of swelling and bruising in her ankle, she’d been able to bear a bit more weight. Which was good, considering how awkward it would be for Kayden to have to carry her everywhere. She’d rented some crutches, but they were just annoying.
At the front desk, a girl Tilly had never seen before smiled at her. “Hi, how can I help you today?”
“I’m here to visit Martin Taylor. I’m his daughter, Matilda Taylor.”
The smile didn’t falter as she turned to her computer and typed something in. “Room twenty-eight. It’s at the end of this hall to my right.”
“Thank you.”
As they neared the room, Tilly realized she probably hadn’t needed the number. The officer stationed outside the door was a good giveaway to which room was his.
She stopped in front of the officer, offering the man a small smile. “Hi, I’m—”
“Tilly, I know. Eastern said you’d come. You’re welcome to go in.”
She nodded before turning to Kayden. “I’ll be back in a sec.”
He stepped closer and pressed one gentle kiss to her lips. “I’ll be right here waiting for you.”
“I know you will.”
Turning, she sucked in a final breath of courage before stepping into the room.
Her father lay in the center of the hospital bed, one hand cuffed to the railing, his head turned as he stared out the window. He shifted to look at her, but if he was surprised to see her, he didn’t show it.
“I was wondering when you’d come to see me, Matilda.”
She stopped a foot away from his bed. “How did you know I’d come at all?”
“Because you never got to ask me why I did it. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You’ve had five years to stew on the question.”
It was surprising that her father would know that. In the end, she didn’t ask. She asked another question that she’d been wondering for just as long.
“Was it worth it?”
He frowned. “Was what worth it?”
He knew, but if he wanted her to spell it out, then she would. “Was the money you stole from this town worth what you lost? The friends. The community. Me and Mom.” Her voice almost broke on that last bit, but she held herself together…just.
Her father glanced down at the cuff around his wrist, as if that would somehow give him the answer. “I was never deserving of you, your mother, or this town, Matilda. Especially your mother. For some reason, she loved me.Me. A man who’d grown up with nothing. A man who had nothing to give.”
“You could have given her your love. Your trust and loyalty.” There was so much more to give a person than money.
“It’s hard to give someone your love when you don’t feel worthy of theirs.” Finally, he looked up. “No. It wasn’t worth it. But by the time I figured that out, it was far too late.”
